


The World Turned Upside Down

by itwas_red



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, I'll add more characters as I find a place for them, pre-season 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-07-10 15:37:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6991510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itwas_red/pseuds/itwas_red
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After settling in Ivy Town, Oliver and Felicity face their biggest challenge yet. Without the resources Team Arrow can provide, they have to find a way to solve their problem on their own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Two months after leaving Starling, Felicity and Oliver found themselves in Ivy Town. She’d agreed to give a lecture at Ivy Town University before she and Oliver headed north to visit some of her old stomping grounds in Boston before moving on, but something made her fall in love with the area.

“I mean,” she mentioned as they lounged in the king sized bed of their Cambridge hotel room, “it was nice. Comfortable.”

“Didn’t Ray grow up there?” he asked her curiously, hoping to have masked the slight jealousy in his voice. “Or … something?”

Felicity snorted and shook her head. “I don’t know where he grew up but that’s where he went to school. Pretty sure I got the invite to speak there because of him and, you know, what happened. Did you not like it?”

Shifting, Oliver wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down so they were both lounging against the pillows. “I like wherever you are,” he said on a contented sigh and Felicity couldn’t help but smile. When he’d told her two months ago as they drove along the California coast that he was happy, she wasn’t sure he meant it. It hadn’t taken her long to accept it as truth, though, because he was finally _acting_ like he was. It made her love him even more.

“Do you – I mean, I love traveling with you. I love doing everything with you.” His hand slid under her shirt and she squirmed, trying not to laugh as he hit her most ticklish spot. “Stop,” she laughed anyway, pushing against his chest ineffectively. “But I was kind of thinking maybe it’s time to …”

“Stop running?”

“I wasn’t going to call it running,” she protested lightly. “I don’t think we’re running.”

Not completely, at least. She knew Oliver both wanted and _needed_ to get out of Starling but he did that a couple of months ago. Then, they’d been running. Now, she liked to consider them to be searching. She could admit that she missed their mission but she knew if she’d stayed she would have missed him more. Being with Oliver was everything she’d ever hoped for and she wouldn’t give it up for the world. And it wasn’t like they didn’t talk to the people back in Starling – she didn’t really think of it as home anymore since she’d had to break her lease to leave – either. Thea and John, and by extension the others, knew where they were every time they stopped. She missed them very much but she was happy with Oliver and as selfish as that was, she was pretty sure that was all that mattered.

Oliver had stayed quiet, waiting for her to finish her thought. It was something that had been happening more and more since their time together on Lian Yu. Felicity was pretty sure he had learned so much more about her after his “admission” of love than before and she was grateful. Maybe he hadn’t meant it then but he did now, he did the night they first decided not to be together, and he had every day and night since.

Oliver had proven to be more affectionate than she would have imagined him to be. In the daylight, back in Starling, he’d always given off a stoic, hard vibe. She knew he was passionate, there was no question about that, but she’d never once considered him to be the kind of guy who held his girlfriend’s hand _just because_.

She’d be wrong about that.

When her boyfriend – she hated the term but there was really no other way to describe him at this point – tilted his head a little, she realized she hadn’t spoken yet. “Sorry,” she breathed with a little laugh. “Thinking. But, you know, like I said. I don’t think we’re running anymore. I think maybe we’re searching.”

“What do you think we’re searching for?” he asked with interest. She loved that he didn’t dismiss her sometimes off-kilter questions when he very well could have.

“Where we belong now,” she answered, one shoulder lifting in a shrug. “Without the green suit and the comms … I think we’re looking for a place to call home.”

Oliver didn’t speak right away but that didn’t worry her. Since leaving, he’d become a little more contemplative. He rarely had a knee-jerk reaction to anything she said anymore. He wasn’t living his days looking over his shoulder trying to figure out how to protect the people he loved. The first week after they’d left he’d worried an enemy would follow him but after two months, he was more than content with the knowledge that they’d actually gotten out; he’d told her so more than once.

“Do you think Ivy Town could be home?” he asked after a few silent minutes, his fingers now sliding up and down her spine. “That we could build a life there?”

It was Felicity’s turn to grow quiet and thoughtful. Starling had been the first place – outside of a dark, disgusting dorm room – that had felt like home to her. She’d spent a majority of her time in Las Vegas trying to figure out how to get out of there as quickly as possible. And after Cooper “died”, she’d done the same with Boston. She could have stayed in Starling and been happy but Oliver couldn’t have, not then, so she went with him. Now that they were making a joint decision, it was something that had to be carefully considered.

Ivy Town was nice. It was subdued, quiet, felt safe. She didn’t really need to be in Starling to run Palmer Tech, though she was sure there would be some trips back to Illinois in the future, and she’d always liked the east coast. Her lecture had gone well the week before and she thought there was a chance she could do that again. Maybe not teach a class because the idea of being in charge of young, impressionable minds freaked her out, but she could do a series or something. Or give one at Yale too. Maybe. It was a pretty nice check for talking about something she loved, after all.

“I do,” Felicity said quietly. “I don’t know why. I just … I think it could be.” She bit down on her bottom lip and lifted her shoulder slowly, her eyes on Oliver’s. “We could try it,” she suggested. “Get a lease somewhere, see how it goes.”

Oliver just watched her for a minute as if he was searching for something. She left her face open, allowing him to seek whatever it was he was looking for. When he found it, he grinned and leaned forward to kiss her. “Sounds like a plan,” he agreed. “We’ll call a realtor or something …”

“In the morning,” she concluded, cutting him off. With a smile, she pushed hard on his chest before shifting to straddle his thighs. “You’re far too busy right now to make a phone call.” Leaning down, she pressed her lips to his, happier and more content than she’d been just a few minutes prior.

 

* * *

 

After renting a house for three months, they were both convinced that Ivy Town was where they belonged. The place they were staying wasn’t for sale so they took the time to find their home. It took looking at seven places before they agreed on one and then another six weeks before they could settle on it.

Oliver had been adamant that it be in her name because she was the one paying for it – he wasn’t destitute or anything but she’d come into a lot of cash with the Palmer Tech money and the lecture money – but she wasn’t having it. They bought the house outright, both names on the deed. “Partners,” she’d told him as they signed the settlement documents. He’d agreed with a frown but thanked her properly once they were in their new home. (It wasn’t furnished so they had some crazy and slightly uncomfortable sex on a couple of the floors after she almost fell off the kitchen counter but it was good anyway and she knew it would only get better.)

Now, after having been in their house – and _god_ did she love referring to is as _their_ house or _their_ home – for a little more than a month, Felicity was positive that things couldn’t get better. They were both happy, so happy they didn’t even bother mentioning how happy they were anymore because they knew the other didn’t need any reassurance, and they had friends.

Sort of.

Adam and Laura Hoffman were the first on their doorstep on the day they moved into the house. They had a son named Jake who was somewhere just beyond his toddler years, if Felicity remembered correctly, and a daughter in elementary school. They were nice people, if a little _Stepford-y_ , and it was good for her and Oliver to make friend. He was doing better than she was, surprisingly, but she loved the smile he got when he mentioned their friends were coming over for brunch or that him, Adam and Jake were headed into New York for a baseball game or hockey game or something.

They were building a real life together and Felicity felt something settle deep inside of her, like a puzzle piece clicking into place, and she just knew in her heart of hearts that this was where she and Oliver would spend the rest of their lives.

“Yoo hoo! Earth to Felicity!”

Snapping her head up, Felicity saw that Laura, along with Candace Hamilton and Molly Wright, were standing at the end of the driveway where Felicity was planting some bright flowers. “Sorry. Zoned out. Hi,” she said as she stood, wiping her hands on her yoga pants. “What’s up?”

“Oh, you know,” Candace said leadingly, her eyes moving towards the garage where Oliver’s legs were visible under the front of their Porsche. “Just wondering what’s taking so long.”

“Candace!” Molly hissed. “I’m so sorry about her. Now you know why she works for the local news station.”

“I don’t understand,” Felicity said with a frown, bending to grab her glass of lemonade as she wiped her sweaty brow with her other forearm. “What’s taking so long?”

Laura smiled soothingly and Felicity’s confusion grew. “We just thought for sure you and Oliver would be planning a wedding by now.”

The statement caught her by surprise and she couldn’t stop herself from choking on her drink. Her coughing must have been loud enough to echo to Oliver because he was by her side a moment later, his hand rubbing her back and asking if she was okay. The ladies were asking the same thing, all three sets of eyes wide.

“Fine,” she gasped, her throat burning. “I’m fine.” Her eyes watered as she took a sip from the lemonade before gulping in a deep breath. “I’m fine,” she repeated on an exhale. “Just went down the wrong pipe.” The ladies wisely keep their mouths shut so she pressed a kiss to Oliver’s cheek and shooed him back to the garage. He watched her for another beat before he slid his hand down her back one last time before following her direction and heading back to the car.

“What made you think we’d be planning a wedding?” she asked with a hiss, leading them down to the other edge of the lawn so she could pretend to check on the tree they’d planted there the day before. Really, she just wanted to get away from Oliver’s auditory range. “We’re not even …” She raised her left hand and wiggled her fingers. “We’re not engaged.”

“Obviously,” Candace replied on a sigh. “We just thought for sure he would have popped the question by now. I mean, have you _seen_ you two? You’re more in love than any couple in a romantic comedy. You’re … _damn_ , girl, you two are basically a Nicholas Sparks movie without all the unnecessary drama.”

Felicity couldn’t help but grin at that. If these ladies only knew the kind of drama she and Oliver had been involved in, both romantically and not. “We’re not there yet,” she said with a forcefully dismissive chuckle. “We’ve only been together for a few months.”

“Really?” Molly asked with interest. “It doesn’t seem that way.”

“That’s because we were friends for a couple of years before we were able to be together.” At three perfectly arched brows, she added, “And by that I mean there was always someone else for one of us.” Usually him because he was _Oliver Queen_ but she’d been with Ray and Oliver didn’t like it so she wasn’t exactly lying when she said that. “But in May, the timing was right and …” She shrugged. “We decided we needed to take some time for us and here we are.”

Laura’s cell phone rang and she pulled it out, rolling her eyes at the screen. “I give it a week,” she predicted before apologizing and answering the phone, walking back towards her house. The other two begged off soon after and Felicity was left standing alone, wondering if everyone in the neighborhood thought she and Oliver were a breath away from the altar.

Later that night, after dinner and a movie and some _very_ satisfying sex, Felicity found herself curled in Oliver’s arms, her head on his chest and her fingers tracing an absent pattern over his Bratva tattoo. She wanted to ask him about what the women had been talking to her about, ask him if anyone had brought the topic up to him, but she didn’t want to make him feel like she was pressuring him into something she was pretty sure she absolutely was _not_ ready for. It was going to bother her if she didn’t ask though so she took a fortifying breath and asked.

“Do your friends think we’re going to get engaged soon?”

The bluntness must have taken him by surprise before he started choking the same way she had earlier. She pulled back so he could sit up and cough it out, settling back against him once he’d gulped down some water and started breathing regularly. “ _What_?”

“See, now you know why I was _really_ choking before. They just … sprung it on me. And I just … had no idea people thought that. I mean, _I_ haven’t thought about it at all,” she admitted honestly. “Have you?”

“Not really,” he answered, his hand beginning its familiar path up and down her bare back. “I mean, in an abstract sense, maybe, but it’s never been … I’ve never gone ring shopping or called to ask for your mom’s blessing even though I’m pretty sure she’d deafen me if I did.” He paused his words but not his movements. “I guess I’ve thought about a _some day_ but not something soon. Is that … are you okay with that?”

“Yes,” she breathed in relief immediately. “I’m definitely okay with that. I just … want to give what we have time to grow and develop on its own. Give this relationship the attention it deserves.”

“Good,” he murmured, his lips pressing against her hair. “I like the way things are now.”

She hummed in agreement, her eyes slipping shut. “Me too. Best life ever.”

Felicity felt his chuckle rumble through his chest, the noise and motion lulling her to sleep.

It didn’t feel like she’d been asleep for very long when she felt herself waking, the room bright behind her closed eyelids. Groaning, she pushing her hair away from her face the best she could before cracking her eyes open. The long, dark strands still obscured her view, though, so she grunted and pushed them back over her head with more force. The arm around her tightened and she felt herself snuggle back into Oliver’s embrace, humming in appreciation and pressing a kiss against his chest.

Which was covered in a shirt and less muscle-y than she remembered. Frowning, she pushed back, once again having to force her hair out of her face. The strands caught her attention and her heart started racing because _why the hell_ was her hair dark?

Eyes wide and heart pounding, she moved to shake Oliver awake when her next, much more horrifying discovery was made.

“City, what’s wrong?” the dark haired man asked, voice thick with sleep as his hand reached for hers. “You okay?”

No, she absolutely was _not_ okay, she thought to herself as she started breathing erratically. There was no way she could be okay because she just woke up in bed with her boyfriend’s dead best friend. There was absolutely nothing okay about any of this. Nothing.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity was pretty sure this is what a panic attack felt like. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t move. Her hands were shaking as she tried to suck in a breath and make sense of what was happening.

Felicity was pretty sure this is what a panic attack felt like. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t move. Her hands were shaking as she tried to suck in a breath and make sense of what was happening.

Her nails were dark, not black but close to it, chipped and in need of a fresh coat; her hair was long and dark and messy and it was really freaking her out. She didn’t want to remember the last time she looked like this.

If she’d woken up next to Cooper she would have thought it was a dream. She could have easily accepted that she was dreaming about the last man she’d honestly thought she could spend the rest of her life with after having the conversation she’d just had with Oliver. But it wasn’t Cooper in bed with her, it was Tommy Merlyn.

Who was _actually_ dead.

“City? Felicity?” His voice had a hint of panic in it and she completely understood because if _she_ had somehow been magically risen from them dead, likely without the help of a Lazarus Pit, she would be freaked out too.

_More_ freaked out.

“T-Tommy?” she breathed, her voice shaky and weak. “Is that you? Really?”

His hands reached for her, gripping her sides and pulling her close. She realized belatedly that she should probably pull away but she was so startled that she couldn’t. Instead, she let him settle her against him, her cheek resting on his shoulder as he calmly shushed her. As if this was something that happened a lot. Or at least something that happened before tonight.

“Yes, yes, it’s me,” he promised, holding her closely. “It was just a dream. Whatever it was, it’s not real. I’m here.”

Felicity had no idea what was going on, had no idea why Tommy was telling her she was just dreaming. Was her life with Oliver just a dream? It couldn’t be. She remembered too much for it to have been a dream. And when she thought back, the memories weren’t fuzzy, weren’t fading. She considered that _this_ could be a dream but Tommy was too solid, to warm, too _here_ for it to be.

She didn’t know if that was better or worse than the alternative.

Tommy moved her back a bit, his hands gentle but firm, and searched her face. It was obvious he knew her well, if the look in his eyes told the truth. And something in her told her she knew him too. Not well, not like he knew her – _whoever_ she was – but she had some muscle memory or scent memory or _something_ and she felt like his reassuring words were actually calming her down in some way. She wished Caitlin were here to give her the scientific reasoning behind what she was feeling but without her, Felicity felt like she would have to figure this out on her own.

And then she had to find Oliver and pray he knew where they were.

“City, talk to me,” Tommy begged, his shaky voice soft and his eyes piercing. “Please. I – you’re scaring me. Are you okay? What’s wrong?” When she didn’t speak, he held her with one arm while he spun towards the nightstand on his side of the bed. “I’m calling 9-1-1.”

His words snapped her out of the internal prison her mind had been trapped in. “No! No, I – I’m okay. I’m sorry,” she breathed. “No. I’m okay. It’s okay.”

“Thank God,” he answered on a breath, his eyes closing. “What the heck happened?”

“I-I don’t know,” Felicity replied, glad she didn’t have to lie. “I just … I feel … it’s like I wasn’t myself when I woke up.”

It was terrifying and insane and she wished she’d been able to think quicker on her feet. Or in bed, as this particular case was. Oliver and John had told her time and again that she needed to be better at it, especially after The Count a couple years ago. She’d thought she was doing better but tonight – this morning, she noticed as a breeze blew in a white curtain that allowed her to see the pale blue sky – had really thrown her for a loop. Literally.

“Do you feel better now? Maybe you should take the day off.” Tommy paused, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. “We both can. It’ll be a mental health day, as you like to call them.” His smile was so sincere and it calmed her so much that she let her cheek relax into his comforting hand.

With her eyes closed, she focused on centering herself and trying to figure out what her next move was. It also allowed her to observe the sounds and smells of the room she was in with Tommy. She opened her eyes to see him watching her, an open, relieved expression on his face. It was so absurd but she knew she had to play along with whatever this was until she figured out how to find Oliver.

Her hand moved up to cover his on her cheek and she felt it. Cool, hard, and definitely on his ring finger. Inconspicuously, she moved her left hand under the covers and rubbed her thumb beneath her own ring finger. Mild panic raced through her again when she felt two bands settled there. _Shit_.

“I think you’re right,” she breathed. “I do need a day off. But you – you shouldn’t …”

“Hey, hey,” he said softly with a smile, “we can both use the time. With all the stress we’ve been under lately, it’ll be good for both of us to just sit back and relax. A stay-cation.”

Really, she wanted him out of the house or apartment or wherever they were so she could snoop and then try to track down her boyfriend. And that thought made her feel dirty because the rings on her finger were a pretty damn strong indication that she had a _husband_ and it _wasn’t_ the man she’d gone to bed with the night before.

That thought alone made her feel lightheaded and she kind of wanted to pass out. Or, well, she didn’t _want_ to but she thought she might. “Sounds good,” Felicity answered and she knew her voice was weak but there wasn’t really anything she could do about it. “I think I’m going to start this stay-cation off with a nice shower.”

“Mmm,” he hummed, drawing her closer. “I’ll join you.”

“No!” she shouted and immediately regretted it because this was her husband, if she was guessing correctly, and she was pretty sure he would think it was suspicious that she didn’t want to shower with him. “Sorry,” she quickly added. “Sorry. I just … need to shave.”

“Felicity …”

“For our stay-cation. Hey! Maybe we could roleplay. Pretend to just meet. You could … you could try to seduce me or something.” His eyes darkened and she mentally winced. She would probably be expected to give in to said seduction at some point since, well, she already had in this particularly odd version of reality. Or whatever this was.

“Sounds like a plan,” Tommy responded, his voice deep and thick. “I’ll _meet_ you over breakfast downstairs.”

Without another word, Tommy withdrew, making his way into what she assumed was the closet before darting out of the room, presumably to get ready for their roleplay meeting.

With Tommy gone, Felicity was able to take a deep breath, her hand moving to rest over her frantically beating heart. She had no idea what was going on but she was positive it wasn’t anything good. It couldn’t be. Bringing her left hand up, she ran it over her hair before moving it in her line of sight. The beautifully big diamond ring and tasteful diamond wedding band confirmed her suspicions.

And if there had been a stray chance that maybe she was cheating on Oliver with Tommy in the alternate reality, it was shot to pieces by the wedding photo hanging on the wall across from the bed.

Standing, Felicity made her way over to the photo and let her eyes skim over it. Her fingers moved to card through the dark hair she saw the woman in the photograph sporting. It wasn’t as dark as she’d had it during her MIT days but it was definitely brunette. It was probably long, too, but the elegant up-do she had made it difficult to determine how long. But the hair wasn’t the most shocking part of the picture. No, it was the way she and Tommy were looking into each other’s eyes, obviously oblivious to everyone and everything around them. It was a close shot, cropping out nearly everything but the two of them, and Felicity wondered briefly if anyone had ever looked at her the way Tommy was in the photograph. It was as if she was his whole world and there was nothing better to him than being with her.

There was no doubt in her mind that Tommy Merlyn was in love with the woman he married. The woman whose body she was now living in.

_Frack._

 

* * *

 

“Ollie, would you _please_ get up?” a tired voice called and it pulled him from his sleep. He thought it was odd that Felicity called him Ollie but it didn’t really register like it would have if he’d been fully awake.

“What?” he groaned before pulling the pillow over his head. “No. You go to the store.”

“The store?” the voice asked, a laugh in it. “Ollie, come on. We don’t have much time before we need to head over to the restaurant to meet your parents for brunch. You need to get up _now_ or we’ll be late.” There was a pause and a breathy laugh. “Again.”

Cracking one eye open, he expected to see Felicity standing over him with her hands on her hips and a playful grin on her face. Instead, he saw Laurel in a just-past-casual dressed, dark hair in curls over her shoulder. “Good morning, Sunshine. Now up. Shower. Brunch. Let’s go. Chop chop!”

It was a testament to how outside of his mind he felt that he pushed himself up and blinked away the sleep fogging his brain before he asked, “Laurel?”

Frowning, she crossed her arms over her chest. “ _Laurel_? Really? Come on, Ollie. Stop playing games. Go get in the shower. I’ll call the restaurant and ask them to push the reservation for fifteen minutes.” Without waiting for an answer, she picked up her cell phone and dialed. His brows knit in confusion before his heart stopped as she introduced herself to the person on the other end of the phone as Dinah Lance.

“What the hell?” he murmured, hand moving up to massage his temple as it pounded, his head spinning. “Where the hell …?” When Laurel – _Dinah_ – hissed at him to get up and then pointed out of the room, he considered attacking, pinning her to something and asking her what the hell was going on, but he realized that he wasn’t who she thought he was and doing that would likely cause her to call her father.

He really didn’t need to get on Lance’s bad side. Again.

She kept her fiery gaze on him until he put his hands up in surrender and slid from the bed, making his way out of the bedroom and closing the door behind him. Once he was alone, he allowed himself a moment to _freak the hell out_ because he’d gone to bed with Felicity the night before and now he was awake in a bedroom he didn’t recognize with _Dinah_ Lance ordering him around and changing their brunch reservation with his parents.

That thought froze him in his tracks. His parents were dead. Both of them.

Feeling sick to his stomach, he pushed two doors open before he stumbled into the bathroom and retched. A combination of whatever weird headache/migraine/hangover he had and the fact that Laurel said they were going to meet with his parents sent him over the edge. He had no idea what the hell was going on and it was messing with him. He needed to find Felicity and see if something weird had happened. Maybe Barry was messing with them or something.

He considered asking Laurel – _Dinah_ – but she was kind of scarier now than she was before and he didn’t have all of his wits about him. It would be better, he thought, if he just played along for now.

He took a quick shower after he finished being sick, deciding Dinah would probably freak if he didn’t. She wasn’t in the room when he got back there so he pulled open a few drawers and found boxers and an undershirt. Based on Laurel’s – _Dinah’s_ – dress, he figured a pair of slacks and a button down would suffice for the brunch. With his dead parents. _Where the hell was he_?

He stepped out of the bedroom and headed down the hall to a living room that pretty much screamed bachelor pad. At least he and Dinah weren’t living together. That would be weird as hell. She was pacing on the other side of the room, whispering into her phone, so he took a second to look at the few photos he had on a table. One was of him and Tommy and it made his heart clench. They were both in suits, smiling at the camera. His smile looked forced, though, and he wished he knew why.

The second was probably the answer. It was a wedding photo. He was beside Tommy, same fake smile on his face, while Tommy had his arm around a beautiful brunette. He swallowed thickly and moved his eyes over to see Sara Lance standing beside her, a wicked grin on her face, as if she was planning something truly mischievous. After a second, his eyes moved back to the brunette, bright blue eyes relaying exactly how happy she was to be in a white wedding dress with his best friend by her side.

“Good, you’re ready,” Dinah said as she made her way over to him. “What’s with the walk down memory lane? Gosh, look at them.” Her voice softened as she took the photo and held it in front of her, a soft smile on her face. “Funny how things work out, you know?”

“Yeah,” he answered because he had to say something. “It’s funny alright.”

“Your folks are meeting us at the restaurant. You look very handsome,” she said before leaning in and brushing her lips against his.

“You look beautiful,” he answered because he was probably supposed to say that and it was true. “You, uh, you ready?” At her nod, she reached down and took his hand, leading him out of what he assumed was his apartment.

“So, were you thinking of going to an island or just the coast?” she asked as they rode the elevator down. “Personally, I’d rather just go to a beach somewhere. Maybe the west coast. Then we can go over to Catalina Island if we really want to.”

“Sure,” he answered absently. “Whatever you think it best.”

What he really wanted to do was run, fast and furious, to wherever Tommy and Felicity were. He needed to see if this happened to her too. And if it _did_ , maybe she would know what was going on and how to get them home.

“Good. I’ll check for flights later this afternoon.” She paused. “Are you still meeting with Malcolm tonight?”

“Malcolm?” he asked, his voice harsh. “Why the hell would I do that?”

Laurel – _Dinah_ – looked confused. “Because you’re heading the merger of the QC and MG Applied Sciences Divisions?” she questioned slowly and carefully. “Are you okay? You’re acting kind of weird today. Is this because of last night?”

Yes, it was _absolutely_ about last night. Or this morning. Or whenever the hell he came to this backwards world where his girlfriend was married to his best friend. Former best friend. _Deceased_ best friend. “I, uh …”

“I’m sure they’re not going to hold it against you,” she laughed. “You don’t have _that_ bad of a singing voice. Felicity did look a little green at your rendition of _I Will Always Love You_ though. Maybe they’re finally pregnant.”

The words made him lose focus and trip as they stepped out of the elevator. He caught himself but just barely. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Jeez, Ollie,” Dinah laughed. “Were you sneaking shots when none of us were looking? You seem really off today.”

“Uh … no. No shots. Just slept really hard last night and I’m still not awake. What – uh – what happened last night?”

“Oh no,” she laughed again. “That’s one I’m going to let you piece together by yourself, Mr. American Idol.”

With that, they stepped out of the building and allowed the doorman to flag down a taxi. Oliver’s mind was spinning as he let Laurel – _Dinah_ – get in first and he followed absently behind. He really, _really_ needed to find Felicity and figure out what the hell happened to him. Or them. Hopefully them. He didn’t think he would be able to deal with being in this strange reality on his own even if his girlfriend _was_ married to his dead best friend. He needed her so they could figure this whole thing out the way they always did: together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for reading! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. :)


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When her eyes finally adjusted to the bright sunshine in the bedroom – which was unusual because there had been rain in the forecast for most of the week – she realized something was very, very off. It wasn’t her room. The nightstand wasn’t hers, the dresser – which kind of looked like a filing cabinet – wasn’t hers, the paint color … nothing was hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With some gentle encouragement from the amazing Emeli_Thorne, I decided to go ahead and write from the POV of the OTHER Oliver and Felicity, who were thrust into the Arrowverse we know. I'll be sure to label the sections with either IVY TOWN or STARLING CITY. Canon Oliver and Felicity will be in Starling City; non-canon Oliver and Felicity will be in Ivy Town. If that changes, I'll make sure to give you all a heads up.
> 
> Also, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who's read, left kudos and comments. It means the world to me.

**_IVY TOWN_ **

Waking up with a hangover when you knew you hadn’t been drinking before going to bed was the strangest feeling Felicty’d ever had. Her head was pounding so hard it felt like her eyeballs and ear drums were pounding too. Groaning, she pushed off Tommy and rolled over to blindly grab a couple of painkillers and down them with a glass of water.

Only the water wasn’t where she left it and neither was the bottle of Tylenol.

“The hell?” she murmured tiredly, reaching for her glasses and shoving them on. They were slightly askew as she tried to focus on the nightstand and find the painkillers and water.

When her eyes finally adjusted to the bright sunshine in the bedroom – which was unusual because there had been rain in the forecast for most of the week – she realized something was very, very off. It wasn’t her room. The nightstand wasn’t hers, the dresser – which kind of looked like a filing cabinet – wasn’t hers, the paint color … _nothing_ was hers.

Heart pounding, Felicity pushed herself up and let her eyes frantically scan for something, _anything_ , familiar. She could feel the scared tears forming in her eyes as she reached out for her husband, frantically shaking him awake. “Tommy! Tommy, you have to get up. Please. Something’s … something’s not right. _Please_ wa –“ Her words died off as the person in bed with her turned over, his face scrunched and his hand sliding over his hair.

“Di?” he asked, his voice thick. “What’s -? _Holy shit_!”

“Keep your voice down!” she hissed, pulling the sheet up to cover herself. “If there’s someone out there, I definitely don’t want them knowing I’m in _here_ with _you_ and _not_ my husband! Jesus, Oliver!”

“Calm down,” her bedmate responded, pushing himself up into a seated position as well. “I’m sure – what the hell are you looking at?”

“What _happened_ to you?” Felicity whispered softly, sadly, as she reached forward and traced a long scar, one of many that littered his torso. “Oliver … what?”

His eyes traveled from her face down to his chest and he gasped himself. His left hand came up and traced scar after scar and then a couple of tattoos. “I have no idea. I – I swear to God I didn’t have these yesterday.” He paused. “Didn’t have you in my bed yesterday either so I guess today’s all about new things.”

As if she was snapped back to reality, Felicity’s eyes widened and she quickly scrambled out of the bed wrapping the sheet she dragged along with her around her body. Of course, this left Oliver completely exposed. Squeezing her eyes shut, she spun around. “Cover yourself!” She heard his chuckle and it made her angrier than it should have. “This isn’t funny!”

“I don’t think there’s a single thing that _isn’t_ funny right now. Someone has to be playing a really elaborate joke. I mean, the scars, the tattoos, your hair …”

“What’s wrong with my hair?” she demanded, whirling around on him, her eyes still firmly shut. “Did someone cut it? I bet it was Sara. God, she shouldn’t be allowed near people when she’s drinking.”

“Nope, not cut. Well, yeah, maybe it is. I don’t know how long your hair is. But it’s definitely blonde. Which is wasn’t last night before we went out.” He paused. “I don’t really like it.”

“And I don’t like you naked in bed with me when I’m _married_ ,” she replied, holding out her left hand as if to prove to him that she really was married. At his snort, she opened her eyes and glowered at him. “ _What_?”

“Nothing,” he laughed. “Just that you seem to have lost your ring.”

Panicked, Felicity’s eyes flew down to ring finger where her ring was, in fact, missing. “No,” she moaned. “No, no, no, no, no. No, this can’t be happening. Get out of bed and help me _find_ it, Oliver.”

“I kind of wish I was recording this. I betcha I could get, like, a million hits on YouTube.” At her pissed off look, he sighed. “Fine. But I gotta put some clothes on first.” He paused. “Wait. I’m naked … and you’re naked …”

“Do _not_ finish that thought, Oliver Queen,” she spat. “Nothing happened. Nothing’s happened between us since college and it’s going to stay that way. Despite your horrifying rendition of a classic Whitney Houston song last night.”

“Hey,” he shot back, his voice strong and irritated. “I know that. And I’m happy with Dinah so don’t go projecting your marriage problems onto me.”

“Tommy and I are _not_ having problems,” she shot back. “We’re perfectly happy.”

“Is that why you’ve been acting like a complete basket case lately? Because you’re _perfectly happy_?”

She opened her mouth to shoot back some kind of scathing retort but it died in her throat. All of the anger slipped away from her and she shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it. Right now, I want to get dressed, find my wedding ring and then find my husband.” She paused. “I also want you to get dressed and help me do the other things. Aside from me getting dressed. I can get dressed on my own without your help, thank you very much. No reason for you to … help me … get dressed.” She pulled her lips into her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut for a second before expelling a breath. “Sorry, just a little stressed out.”

“Really? Couldn’t tell,” Oliver responded with a sarcastic eye roll. “You think Tommy’s clothes will fit me?”

“It’s only going to be for as long as it takes you to get home,” she answered with a shrug, sorting through the ugly dresser before finding undergarments, a t-shirt and some shorts. “I’m going to go find the restroom and get dressed. Please be decent and in another room by the time I’m done,” she requested before heading out to find the bathroom.

She took the time to shower because it looked like all of her necessities were in there. Sara must have gone to a lot of trouble to get all of this set up to mess with her and Oliver. The youngest Lance was one of her best friends and she had a mischievous streak a country mile long. Felicity was usually the butt of her jokes but she never seemed to mind. If it gave Sara something to do that wasn’t leading down a path of self-destruction, Felicity was all for it.

Stepping out of the shower, her (weird) blonde hair pulled back into a wet ponytail, Felicity dried off and dressed before heading out towards the main area of the house they were in. When she got there, Oliver was frozen in front of a few picture frames. “Any hints as to … what the hell?” she asked, her brow scrunched together in confusion. “Where did these come from?”

“No idea,” he answered, his eyes on a photograph of the two of them, his arms wrapped around her from behind, bright smiles on both of their faces. His right hand moved to rub against his abdomen before he put the frame down and turned to her. “I have no idea what’s going on.”

Licking her lips, Felicity let her eyes travel over the house they were in. It was full of knick knacks that were somehow related to her and Oliver. Nothing of Tommy’s, nothing of Dinah’s. Just the two of them. “Me either,” she answered, her feet carrying her over to the door. She opened it and stepped outside, a frown tugging on her lips. “Oliver, we’re not in Starling,” she told him, her voice holding a fine tremor. “I don’t – I have no idea where we are but there’s _nowhere_ in Starling that looks like this.”

He stepped out beside her, his hands moving into the pockets of the cargo pants he slid on while she was in the shower. “Yeah,” he agreed quietly. “I don’t … I have no idea where we are.”

They both stood there for a minute, hands reflexively lifting in a wave as someone shouted their names from the street. It was all completely surreal. They lived in a cul-du-sac in some unknown city and Felicity didn’t have her ring, didn’t have anything that resembled something belonging to her husband. All she had was her husband’s best friend slash the guy she had a ten minute fling with in college, a bunch of pictures she never took and layered blonde hair. None of it made sense.

“I’m going to try to call Tommy,” she said softly. “And you should – you should try Dinah. Or Sara. She’ll be laughing too hard to give me any kind of answers.”

Something inside of her said neither of those things would work. There was too much that was wrong to have it be a practical joke. She watched as Oliver rubbed at his stomach again before he nodded and retreated into the house. She followed, moving towards the bedroom to find her phone. When she did, she scrolled through the contacts, a frown darkening her face again. There were a ton of names she didn’t know but one that she knew should have been there but wasn’t. She scrolled through each contact twice before her stomach dropped and she placed her phone back on the vanity. Steeling herself, she made her way back out into the main living area of the house. “Oliver?”

“Something’s really not right,” he muttered, looking up from his phone to meet her eyes. “Some of these names … why the hell would I have Walter Steele in my phone? Just because I’m working on the merger doesn’t mean I need his help. Not yet, at least. And I definitely wouldn’t be calling his cell. And my dad’s number isn’t in here and my mom’s hasn’t been dialed in over a year. And –“

“Tommy’s is missing too?” she asked softly, bringing her arms up to cross over her chest.

“Yeah,” he answered. “I don’t get it.”

“Oliver, something’s really wrong. Like, I don’t think Sara could have been _this_ elaborate. Not even if she’s been planning it for a while. I think – I think something else is going on here. I just don’t know what.” She swallowed before taking a deep breath. “But I think we need to figure it out sooner rather than later. Before Tommy and Dinah and our families start missing us.”

Oliver nodded in agreement and opened his mouth to speak before her phone started ringing down the hall. “Sorry. I should –“

“Yeah,” he agreed quickly, following her down the hallway. “Who is it?”

She picked it up, a frown on her face. “It just says Dennis and has a growly-face emoji next to it. Should I answer it?”

Oliver leaned in and stared at the photo ID before frowning. “He’s on the QC Board of Directors,” he said with a frown. “Why the hell is he calling you? Are you working on the merger with Malcolm?”

“No,” she snorted. “You know I stay as far away from that place as I possibly can.”

“Too busy working in Rebecca’s clinic, huh?” he asked with a small grin.

She shrugged. “I have a nursing degree. Might as well put it to good use helping out the less fortunate with my mother-in-law.”

“Felicity Merlyn. Always trying to save the world.”

She grinned and by the time she remembered the ringing phone, it stopped. “I’ll check the voicemail later. I think first we should try to figure out exactly where we are and what we’re doing here,” she decided.

“Ivy Town,” he answered, confusion heavy in his voice. “We’re in Ivy Town according to the weather app on my phone.” Licking his lips, he made his way over to the living room and grabbed the remote, flicking on the television. A news report came on about the incoming group of freshman at Ivy Town University. “How the hell did we get to Ivy Town?”

Hands now on her hips, Felicity stared at the television. “I have no idea,” she answered. “I’ve never even … why would we come here?” She glanced over at him. “Unless QC is working with the school?”

“Not that I know of,” he answered. “I’ll call my mother and ask her once we have a little more to go on.”

“Good idea,” she agreed, shoving her phone into her pocket and taking a deep breath. “I can’t decide if I think it would be a good idea to search for answers outside or in here,” she added, her eyes flicking towards the door. “I mean, people can learn a lot just from the people around them. But we don’t want to make the neighbors think we’re aliens or something. Do you think we’re pod people? I saw a movie about them when I was younger. Scared the crap out of me. But I don’t think they were cognizant of the fact that they were taken over so I think that kind of rules out that theory, right? Oliver?”

He wasn’t beside her anymore so, with a frown, she decided to track him down. He was in the front yard again, eyes scanning the small part of their street that they could see. “Everyone waves here,” he said in confusion. “I think – I think these people _know_ us.”

“There’s no way they can,” she responded seriously. “I mean, we’ve never been here before. There’s got to be some kind of explanation for this. All of it,” she added, tugging on her ponytail. “Do you think we’re part of some government conspiracy or something. Did we witness something last night and we’ve been put in the Witness Protection Program for our safety? Do you think we’ve been given some kind of mind-altering drug that’s made us forget the last however long we’ve been here?”

“I swear, Felicity, sometimes I wonder how anyone even knows what Tommy’s voice sounds like.” She glowered at him and he simply raised an unapologetic shoulder. “Look, I’m trying _really hard_ not to lose my shit right now and I would really appreciate it if you made the effort too. No more pod people or government whatevers. We need to find out how we got here and how to get home. So please, for the love of all that’s holy, calm down and try to think about what happened last night? I mean, I remember going home and getting into bed. Alone. With pants on.”

With another withering look in Oliver’s direction, Felicity forced herself to release some of the tension in her shoulders. “Okay,” she said after she took and released a deep breath, “I remember karaoke, I remember not drinking, which makes this headache seem really strange, I remember Tommy and I going home, watching a little bit of Jimmy Fallon and then going to bed.” Shaking her head, she felt her shoulders slump. “None of what either of us did seems to be the key as to how we got here.”

Scratching at his side slash abdomen again, Oliver nodded in slow, resigned agreement. “So … what do we do now?”


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mysteries just kept piling up and she hoped she unraveled at least one of them soon. She needed to do something before she went insane.

**_STARLING CITY_ **

_Shower. Then deal with the rest._ With a resolve Felicity couldn’t help but wonder the origin of, she padded into the en suite bathroom. Her breath caught in her throat because she was pretty sure this bathroom was bigger than the townhouse she’d left behind in Starling when she and Oliver left. Apparently she and Tommy were doing quite well.

She wondered if she still worked at QC. Or, well, Palmer Tech. Or … if she was still the CEO of Palmer Tech. It had been a very strange few hours since she’d gone to bed the night before.

Felicity took her time in the shower, her over-active brain coming up with a million different ideas for how she ended up in Tommy Merlyn’s bed with Tommy Merlyn’s ring on her finger and, if she was guessing correctly, Tommy Merlyn’s last name. Each idea was as crazy as the last and she wished she had _something_ to go on.

She also wished Oliver was there to run interference with her husband because she was pretty sure if she went along with the stupid plan she’d come up with – what kind of genius decided a seduction roleplay was the right way to go about spending the day with her husband who she hadn’t even really known twelve hours before? – she’d end up cheating on Oliver.

Though in this world, she supposed if she did anything with Oliver it would be cheating on Tommy.

She _hated_ this puzzle.

After showering, moisturizing, blow-drying her hair, putting on some light makeup and getting dressed, Felicity decided she’d stalled long enough and she had to face the music. Or her husband, as the case happened to be.

Felicity could admit to herself that she was nervous. Scared. Terrified, even, because she had no idea what was going to happen. She didn’t know what to expect when she got downstairs. The man down there thought he was married to her and was likely to act like it. He would probably want to kiss her and touch her and do _other things_ with her and she wasn’t sure she would be able to do that. She might have been able to fake feeling sick or something if she had more time but she didn’t.

It was time to face the music.

Making her way downstairs, the first thing that she smelled was the coffee. The familiar scent nearly made her knees buckle. If nothing else was the same, at least she would have coffee. The second thing she smelled was sweet. It took a moment to realize it was syrup, either for French toast or pancakes, and she felt her stomach stir with hungriness.

Felicity didn’t immediately enter the kitchen, though. Instead, she took a moment to take in the way Tommy looked. He was a bit thicker, she supposed, though that wasn’t really the word she was looking for. He looked stronger, though definitely not with the size or definition Oliver had. He looked a little older but not much. There was some scruff on his cheeks and Felicity could definitely understand the appeal of that.

She could see what the woman who married Tommy saw in him, at least physically. He’d always been attractive to her in her own life – before he died, obviously – but he was even more handsome here. He looked _right_ and Felicity wished she had some kind of idea what that meant.

Tommy was dressed in a pair of dark, neat jeans and a crisp burgundy button down. She wondered if it was wrong of her to think that Felicity Merlyn was a very lucky woman.

She was able to observe him for another few seconds before he looked up and gave her a smile she’d never seen before. Granted, she didn’t really know him before he died but it was a good look on him. He looked _happy_ , as if having breakfast with her put a smile on his face that no one could take away. Oliver had a similar smile, one that was only for her, and she didn’t want to compare them but since they were the only two to ever look at her like that, she couldn’t stop herself.

Tommy’s smile was one borne of comfort and familiarity. It was like he didn’t remember a time before her. Well, Felicity Merlyn. It was charming and sweet and natural. She thought it probably didn’t take any effort, any thought on his part, to smile the way he did. She’d seen happiness before but something about his smile made her feel like she was seeing true, natural happiness for the first time.

Oliver’s was different. His happiness was earned and his smiled proved that. It wasn’t as forced as it used to be, especially not with her, but it still wasn’t _natural_ to Oliver. It was getting there but it wasn’t there yet. It warmed her heart to know he was trying, though. He wanted to smile at her, to be happy with her, and he was doing it despite what the five long years away from Starling had conditioned him to feel. She loved him all the more for it.

“Like the view?”

Tommy’s voice, full of amusement, cut through her thoughts. She looked up to see him smiling and leaning against the impressive kitchen island. It actually made her wish she knew how to cook.

“It’s a good view,” she replied easily, chuckling lightly under her breath. “But do I know you?”

What a loaded question. Because he was her husband but she wasn’t his wife and it was crazy and confusing and part of their little game. A game she knew she shouldn’t have instigated.

And a game he seemed to have forgotten about.

Tommy came around the island, his hands landing on her hips as he drew her in close. She went easily because that’s what his wife would have done. She probably would have wrapped her arms around his neck and drawn him in for a kiss as well but she wasn’t really comfortable with that.

When he drew her in, she knew he was going for a kiss and she just didn’t think she could do it. She knew she should be treating this like an undercover mission but she couldn’t bring herself to let her lips touch his before talking to Oliver.

“Uh uh,” she said as she pulled back. She hoped the look she was conveying was a teasing smile but she couldn’t be sure. “You’ve got to feed me first.”

Grinning, Tommy pulled back. “Right, of course,” he chuckled. “I know the rules.” She hadn’t thought of that kind of rule but she made a mental note to bring that practice back home with her when she and Oliver were reunited.

“You’d better,” she teased, a genuine smile on her lips. Talking with Tommy now made her wonder what their banter would have been like if he’d lived.

He nodded towards the table and she grinned when she saw it was set. There was juice in front of both seats so she chose one at sat down. He was right behind her, placing a plate of French toast and fruit in front of her before placing is in front of the other seat. “I called my mother and let her know you weren’t feeling well today,” he told her as he speared a blueberry and popped it into his mouth. “She said not to worry about it and that she’s sending good vibes.”

Tommy looked so relaxed by his words and Felicity felt anything but. Rebecca Merlyn was dead. It was her death that drove Malcolm insane. Maybe it was even her death that drove him into the arms of Moira Queen. If Rebecca was alive, did that mean Thea wasn’t? Or was Malcolm a cheater? She knew she shouldn’t be thinking of any of those things in the moment but she couldn’t help it. Her life was so _different_ from this one and she longed to be back there with the people she loved.

“I’m sure you thanked her for me,” she said softly. “So thank you.” She really didn’t know what else to say.

“No problem, sweetheart,” he replied smoothly, a small grin on his face. “And she promised to call with the test results if pathology finishes running them today. Fingers crossed, right?”

“Right,” she answered before popping a strawberry into her mouth. Her mind was spinning as she tried to figure out what test results they were waiting for. “Fingers crossed.”

The mysteries just kept piling up and she hoped she unraveled at least _one_ of them soon. She needed to do _something_ before she went insane.

 

* * *

 

Walking into the restaurant with Dinah, Oliver felt his heart start to race. She said they were meeting his parents for brunch. His _dead_ parents. That obviously meant that he’d left his own reality. He knew he needed to find Felicity and see if she was _his_ Felicity or whatever Felicity lived here. While he knew it was pretty selfish, he hoped it was _his_ girl so they could work together to figure out what the hell was going on; he wasn’t sure he could do it alone.

The host led Oliver and Dinah into a back room and he froze in the doorway. There, at a table set for four, were his mother and father. They were both perusing the menu and not looking at him but he knew it was them. It was _really them_.

“There they are,” a genial male voice boomed and Oliver was taken aback. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard his father sound like that. “I’m guessing _someone_ overslept this morning.”

Laughing, Dinah nodded and stepped forward to press a kiss against his father’s cheek, then greeted his mother the same way. He didn’t move from his spot in the doorway, his eyes wide as he took in Robert and Moira Queen.

“He had a pretty embarrassing night last night,” Dinah replied with a tone he hadn’t heard form her in years. “Felicity convinced him to get up for karaoke and he paid her back with an _awful_ rendition of … what song was it, Ollie?” He didn’t answer but it appeared he didn’t have to because Dinah snapped her fingers. “ _And I Will Always Love You_.”

“Interesting selection,” his mother said with a little grin and an arched eyebrow. “Now, are you going to stand in the door all morning or are you going to come in, greet your parents, and enjoy a good meal?”

“Sorry,” he replied quickly as he shook his head. “Sorry. I’m just …”

“Weird,” Dinah supplied. “I think he’s still in shock.”

Ignoring the woman he was _probably_ dating, he stepped into the room and hugged his mother. He held her tightly, taking in the comforting feel of her arms wrapped around him and the smell of her shampoo. He then moved on to his father, bypassing the older man’s outstretched hand and pulled him into a hug as well.

“I’m not quite sure what we’ve done to warrant such a greeting,” Moira mentioned a little breathlessly, “but I can’t say I dislike it.”

“I’m just … I’m just really glad to see you,” he answered, the truth evident in his voice.

They all sat down and Oliver had to force himself not to stare at his parents. They were both dead; he hadn’t seen them, either of them, in years. But there they were, smiling and laughing and carrying on. It made him wonder where Thea was, wonder why he was working on a merger with Malcolm Merlyn if his father was still alive, made him wonder so many things he couldn’t pick just one to focus on.

“We received a postcard from Thea this morning,” his mother said and his attention snapped to her immediately. “She and Sara are enjoying their time in Europe. She said she was going to e-mail you some photos, just not from Amsterdam.” Oliver blanched and his mother laughed. “I’m sure they’re both doing just fine. And if not, I’m sure Mr. Harper will keep them in line.”

“Sara _hates_ that a bodyguard is with them,” Dinah chuckled. “She said they keep trying to ditch him but he’s too good. _Ninja skills_ , I think she called it. But, hey, as long as he keeps an eye on them and gets them back to their hotel safely at the end of the night, it’s good with me.”

His parents agreed and Oliver was left wondering what in the world was happening in this … world. He was working at QC, Laurel was Dinah, his sister and Sara were traveling on another continent with _Roy Harper_ as their bodyguard, Felicity was married to Tommy and his parents were alive. It made him wonder if Barry had fucked something up with his speeding around shit.

And then it made him wonder if he knew Barry in this place.

“Oh, Oliver, I forgot. We got a call a couple of days ago that John’s up for parole again. His attorney wanted to know if you wanted to speak on his behalf at his hearing again,” his father said.

The waiter came in and took their orders and Oliver didn’t answer because he thought _John_ was Digg and if it was, it meant his best friend was in prison and that definitely wasn’t something he wanted to talk about in front of a stranger. Once the waiter was gone, Oliver turned his attention back to Robert. “Yeah, definitely,” he said without pause. “I forgot what day it is so if you could let me know, I’ll definitely be there.”

The subject was dropped after a nod from his father. Oliver needed to know what John did to get arrested and locked up but he wasn’t sure pulling out his phone and Goggling it would ingratiate him to his parents and Dinah.

“So, Dinah, have you and Felicity talked any about her little issue?” Moira asked with interest. Her question got Oliver’s attention and he turned to the lawyer with interest.

“She’s going to come by the shop tomorrow,” she said with a shrug. “Last night she said Rebecca should have the results soon. I think she and Tommy are trying to keep it quiet, though, so …” She trailed off with a shrug and took a sip of her recently delivered orange juice.

His heart was racing as he listened to the quiet conversation between his mother and Dinah. He wanted so badly to interject and ask what was happening and what _shop_ Dinah had mentioned but if he was already supposed to know, he would look like a complete moron.

His father drew his focus, though, asking him about the merger and whether he thought Malcolm was going to try to bring Tommy back into the main business or not. “It’s good,” he answered because Laurel – _Dinah_ – had mentioned a meeting and had looked at him like he was insane when he replied to her. “And I don’t know about Tommy. I mean, with the Felicity stuff …” His stomach twisted at his words because he didn’t know what that stuff _was_ and he needed to.

“Right, right,” Robert agreed. “I’m sure you’d like him to get involved again though. The Queen and Merlyn boys both VPs in their family companies.” At least that was something that was vaguely similar even if the timeline was messed up. “And then maybe you can finally …” Robert trailed off and shot a smile towards the women. Oliver immediately knew what he was getting at. Finally buy a ring. Settle down.

Like Tommy and Felicity.

 _Fuck_.

Oliver only smiled before he and his father were pulled back into the conversation with his mother and Dinah. God, it was so strange to think of her with that name but he had to get used to it even in his mind.

“Dinah was just saying that she thinks her grandmother is ready to sell _Laurel’s Florals_ to her,” his mother said with a bright smile. “Isn’t that wonderful?”

What the hell was _Laurel’s Florals_ and why was Dinah going to take over it? Oliver was growing more and more confused as this brunch went on. He needed to find Felicity, figure out of she was his Felicity or not, and then figure out what the hell was going on.

But first, he apparently had to eat a western omelet.

When Dinah started talking about a new arrangement she was working on – was she a musician in this world? – he reached up to scratch at his shoulder. His nails moved over the smooth skin and for a second, he thought nothing of it. But after he took a bite of his eggs, he realized he was scratching at the same place his mother put a bullet hole. And there was nothing there. No raised skin, no phantom ache, nothing.

“Excuse me,” he requested as he stood. The others nodded and he hightailed it to the restroom, quickly turning the lock behind him before moving to stand in front of the bank of sinks. After taking a deep, fortifying breath, he lifted his shirt and swallowed. He had no idea how he hadn’t noticed when he was in the shower before but there was a distinct difference between _his_ body and _this_ body. This body had no tattoos, no scars. He lacked the definition of the man who was in hell for five years and then went through three more years of doing whatever it took to protect his city.

 _This_ body had never gotten on the Gambit. Obviously his father was still alive but that didn’t mean it hadn’t happened. He hadn’t even considered it, actually, because he was too stunned and grateful. But now he knew for sure: this was an entirely different reality. No Gambit, no Lian Yu, no scars, no tattoos.

He had _no idea_ who he was and it was terrifying.

He lowered his shirt and reached into his pocket when his phone started ringing. Breathing out a deep sigh of relief, he answered. “ _Felicity_. Thank god.”

“ _Please tell me we went to bed together last night_ ,” she said without a greeting. “ _I’m not equipped to be insane today and I don’t have time to chit chat._ ” He obviously wasn’t quick enough because she snapped, “ _Oliver!_ ”

“No, yes, we went to bed together last night. You and me in our house in Ivy Town,” he answered.

“ _Oh thank God. We need to – we need to meet. Soon. I don’t know how to ditch Tommy, which sounds terrible because apparently he’s my_ husband _and I shouldn’t want or need to ditch him but this is weird and I just … need to see you. Can we meet? Somehow? Somewhere?_ ”

“I’m at brunch with Laurel and my parents,” he answered and her gasp made his heart flutter. “But as soon as I can figure out a time and place, I’ll let you know.” He paused. “Hey, before I have to head back out … what test results are you waiting for from Tommy’s obviously-alive mother?”

“ _I don’t know,_ ” she answered softly. “ _And I obviously can’t ask. If I figure it out, I’ll let you know._ ” She paused and he could hear her shuffling and then turning on a faucet. “ _So … you and Laurel?_ ”

“Dinah here,” he replied, “and apparently.” It was his turn to pause. “And you’re married to Tommy? Is it really …?”

“ _It’s him_ ,” she breathed. “ _It’s really him. And he’s waiting for me to get done in the bathroom so I should go._ ”

“Yeah, me too. I’ll call or text you later, okay?”

“ _Okay_ ,” Felicity agreed. “ _I love you._ ”

“I love you too,” he responded heavily. “I’ll talk to you later.”

He hung up immediately and shoved his phone back into his pocket. Letting out a relieved breath, he leaned against the sink and let himself revel in the fact that his Felicity was here with him and together, they would be able to figure out how to get home. He splashed some water on his face and headed back out towards his family and Dinah, fortified and ready to tackle whatever was ahead.

As long as he had Felicity, he could do anything.

 


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity reached down and pinched her arm and then hissed in reaction to the mild pain. “Not dreaming then,” she mumbled to herself. “Great.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, so sorry for the long delay. I've been since for 2+ weeks and I'm finally feeling well enough to write again. Hopefully it won't take this long before the next update.  
> Thanks again to everyone for reading and commenting!

**_IVY TOWN_ **

Ten minutes and a couple of cold glasses of water later, neither Oliver nor Felicity had any idea what they were going to do. She had been pacing for the last three minutes, her phone ringing twice in that time span with the same caller ID. “Next time they call, I think I need to answer it,” she told him with a frown after the third voicemail notification appeared on the screen. “Maybe it’ll be a good clue.”

“Or you’ll sound like a hung over lunatic and make things even worse,” Oliver shot back. “Come on, Felicity. There has to be _something_ in this house that can help.”

She pursed her lips and bit the inside of her cheek while she went through several ideas in her head. Finally, her eyes lit up. “Ah ha!” she cried, pumping her fist in the air. “Let’s check our phones for pictures! If this is some kind of joke or hoax or whatever, I’m sure _someone_ would have taken pictures so that they can hold it over our heads.”

With a nod, Oliver opened his phone and she did the same. Her frown returned as she scrolled through photo after photo of her and Oliver, her and some guy she didn’t know, her and Thea, her and … her mother? Her heart pounding, she scrolled through and saw pictures of her mother with Dinah and Sara’s father and she would have laughed if this were any other situation. It would have been considered a really great Photoshop job if she didn’t know for certain that this wasn’t a photo of a photo. This was real. Or at least as real as it could be since her mother died when she was a teenager.

“Oliver,” she gasped, turning the phone around so he could see. “How?”

“Is that your mom?” he asked in shock, eyes wide. He’d never met her since she met Oliver and the others when they were in college, but she always had photos around the house. “With Quentin?”

Nodding, Felicity stared at the photo for another minute. Her mother looked a little older but exactly the same as Felicity remembered. “I really don’t understand what’s happening,” she breathed. “My mom … Mr. Lance … me and you … me and this guy …” she said, scrolling back to show Oliver a photo of a tall, thin guy with floppy hair and a wide smile. “But none of Tommy.” She scrolled back and gasped, nearly dropping the phone.

“What?” Oliver asked in alarm. “What did you find?”

Turning the phone around again, she showed him a photo of her and John Diggle. “He’s been in prison for years,” she whispered. “I don’t …”

“Yeah, maybe it’s time to not look at anymore,” Oliver said before clearing his throat and taking her phone from her. He laid it down on the table and drew her away from it. “Let’s … let’s try another avenue.”

“What about your pictures? Did you find anything?”

“Nothing much different than what you had,” he answered, nudging her to sit on the couch and then sitting beside her. “Pictures of me and you. Some of me and Thea. John. Dinah.” He shrugged a little helplessly. “There was one of me and Tommy but it had to be from a long time ago because he was completely clean shaven. I can’t remember the last time he didn’t copy my five o’clock shadow.”

“Shut up,” she laughed, nudging his shoulder. “I like it.”

“Things I don’t need to know, Merlyn,” he said with an exaggerated shudder. “But seriously, it’s weird, right? That we don’t have more pictures of him. And I don’t have any of my and my parents. And I’m sure I had Dinah take some pictures when we announced the QC/MG Applied Sciences merger. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“None of this does,” she replied with a sigh. “I really wish I had some kind of idea. Sara would go through a lot of trouble for a prank but she would never delete any photos. I don’t know why that’s the tipping point for me but … there’s no way this is a joke. Something’s seriously wrong, Oliver.”

He nodded but didn’t say a word. She observed him as he flipped through his phone again, pausing on photos she couldn’t see.

Giving him the privacy to do whatever he needed, she retreated into her own mind. Felicity was scared, no doubt about it. She clasped her hands together in in her lap in an attempt to halt the shaking that had probably begun when she saw the photos of her and her mother. Nothing since she woke up this morning made any sense. She was in _Ivy Town_ with _Oliver Queen_ , she had photos of her and her mother, she had blonde hair, she didn’t have her husband’s phone number, someone from QC’s Board of Directors was calling her ... it was strange and scary and she wanted it to not be real.

Hoping maybe it _wasn’t_ , Felicity reached down and pinched her arm and then hissed in reaction to the mild pain. “Not dreaming then,” she mumbled to herself. “Great.”

“Do you often dream of me?” Oliver asked with a tease in his voice. “Because that’s pretty flattering. I must have really rocked your world.”

Rolling her eyes, Felicity opened her mouth to retort but she was cut off by a series of excited knocks and a sharp _yoo hoo!_ coming from the front door. “There’s someone at the door,” she whispered sharply, her eyes darting to the offending object.

“I know,” he whispered back, “I heard it too. What should we do?”

“I don’t know. Answer it?” The knocking continued and was followed by _I know you’re in there_. “Creepy,” she murmured before standing. “I’ll get it.”

Standing, Felicity smoothed her hands over her jeans and made her way to the door. She pulled it open to see a woman who was probably a good seven years older than her, a wide smile on her face. “I was beginning to think you and Oliver were still busy christening this house,” the woman said with what Felicity figured she thought was a sly wink.

“I – no,” Felicity said her cheeks heating and her voice cracking. “No. Not anything like that. All christened.”

“You’re so _cute_ ,” the woman said as she stepped inside, lightly tapping Felicity on the arm. “But between you and me, I’d keep finding places, _you know what I mean_?” The woman’s voice went low and thick and Felicity absolutely knew what she meant because she was married and had a husband and had bought a new house before.

Felicity forced a laugh and nodded. “You, um, you caught us during … oh, what’s the word? Intermission!” she cried in excitement. “You caught us during intermission.”

The woman looked over at Oliver, who was bright red and looking away, and then turned back to Felicity with a wink. “Good for you,” she whispered. Then she cleared her throat and straightened her spine. “But that’s not why I came over.”

“Why did you?” Oliver asked as he stood and made his way over to them. Felicity watched his cheeks turn pink again as the woman turned and, for lack of a better term, checked him out.

“Well, Adam and I were talking and we thought it was a good idea to have you two over for brunch! And it was his idea. He said _Laura, why don’t we ask Oliver and Felicity over for lunch?_ and I said _That’s such a great idea! I’ll go ask them now!_ and I came right over.” She paused, a wide smile on her face. “So? Brunch?”

Felicity felt sick to her stomach. She didn’t want to have lunch with this woman – Laura – at all. Nor did she want to meet her husband. She wanted to go home to her _own_ husband and forget this weird _whatever_ happened in the first place. Her eyes flicked over to Oliver and she shot him a pleading look, hoping like hell that he would have a reason for them not to go.

“Uh – we’re a little busy today,” he said – lamely, in Felicity’s opinion. “Sorry.” He didn’t sound contrite at all but Felicity was going to take what she could get. She turned to Laura and nodded as sadly as she could.

“Oh, _you_ ,” the older woman said with another swat to Felicity’s arm. “I didn’t mean _today_. I’m using the slow cooker to make enchiladas anyway. How about next Sunday? Ella will be at a sleepover until at least noon.”

Felicity had no idea who Ella was and why she was going to a sleepover but Felicity cursed the person under her breath. She didn’t want to go have brunch – who actually went to brunch aside from Oliver’s family? – with Laura and her husband. She wanted to go _home_.

Before she could think of a suitable reason to decline, Oliver was accepting for the both of them. She turned to look at him with narrowed eyes but he just smiled. “What time would you like us there?”

“Oh!” Laura said happily, “I’m thinking probably ten but I’ll check with Adam. I’m sure we’ll see each other around this week. Unless you’ve got to travel for work again?”

The question was directed at her and Felicity had to wonder exactly where this woman thought a nurse traveled. She bit her tongue and shook her head in the negative, however, because she thought that would probably be the easiest way to get her to leave. Felicity was starting to feel claustrophobic and that was really the worst thing that could possibly happen right now. She definitely didn’t want to have a panic attack in front of her neighbor and Oliver.

“No,” she said when she felt Oliver press his hand to the small of her back. “No, no traveling next week. I should actually – I should check with my assistant and find out when the next time I _do_ have to go out of town is though. Probably something I should put on the calendar. Because I definitely wouldn’t want to miss traveling for work. Nope. Very important work I do.”

“I’d say so,” Laura laughed. “But it’s good to know you’re not one of those _other_ wealthy people who never come down to mingle among the commoners.” With a wink and a pat on the hand, Laura stepped back. “I need to get going though. Ella has a soccer match in a couple of hours and I’m on orange slice duty. See you around!”

And just like that, she was gone. And with her went all of the air in the room. Felicity took a step back, and then another and another until she found herself pressed against a wall, eyes closed and breathing ragged. It had been a long time since she had a panic attack but everything that had happened this morning was sitting like a lead weight on her chest and she couldn’t breathe.

“Whoa! Whoa, hey, Felicity. You look … what the hell is happening? Did you eat a nut or something when I wasn’t looking? What’s going on?”

Great. So she was having a panic attack and Oliver was panicking about it. That was just her luck. “Brown. Bag,” she gasped, her hand pressing hard against her chest. “Quick.” She watched him run into the kitchen and start pulling open drawers and cabinets until he found a bunch of brown paper lunch bags. He grabbed one and jogged to her, handing it over with what could possibly be a shaking hand. She opened it, wrapped her fist below the opening and brought it to her mouth. She took several breaths, the bag expanding and contracting with each. It took a minute or so but she was finally able to take a deep breath, then a second. After a few more beats, she brought the bag away from her mouth and took a deep breath on her own.

“Hey,” Oliver whispered as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she breathed. “Am now. Thanks,” she added as she lifted the bag slightly. “That one … sorry. I didn’t want …”

“Hey hey,” he said softly, his hand sliding from her shoulder, down her arm to grip her hand in support. “It’s okay. I’m just glad … here. Come sit down.” She let him lead her back to the couch, sinking into the leather and tipping her head back.

Her eyes slipped shut and she heard Oliver move away. A moment later she heard the telltale sound of water flowing into a glass and another few seconds later, the glass was pressed into her hand. He told her to drink and she obeyed, if only because she was rattled and still shaking and he was being really, really nice about it. “Thank you,” she whispered after a moment.

“No problem,” he said as he slowly sank down onto the couch next to her. “Do you need anything else?”

She didn’t want to give him a knee-jerk answer so she took a few beats to assess. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, clenched and unclenched the hand not holding her glass of water, let her eyes wander the room as she counted her heartbeats. “No,” she answered finally. “I think I’m good now. Thank you.” She turned to look at Oliver and tried to show him the depth of her sincerity. She reached down and gripped his hand lightly. “I mean that. You were definitely clutch right then.”

“Do you still get those a lot?” he asked her gently. “Tommy hasn’t mentioned …”

“Not a lot,” she answered with a slight shrug. “Sometimes if it’s a really bad day at work, if I lose a patient I get close. Especially a young one. I’m just … feeling a lot of stress right now. Or I was back at home and now with _this_ …” She felt her heart start to race again so she cut herself off and took a few deep breaths and shook her head. “Sorry. It’s just a lot. I probably should have expected it.”

Oliver watched her for a moment before tilting his head to the side. “What’s going on at home?” he asked. “I mean, I know I said something about you and Tommy but … I mean, is everything okay with you guys?”

“Yes,” she answered definitively. “We’re really good. I wouldn’t lie about that.” She paused. “Unless Tommy’s said …”

“No,” he was quick to deny. “He hasn’t said anything at all. I was just … I don’t know. But you guys are okay so what’s going on?”

She considered telling him the truth but dismissed it almost as soon as the thought passed through her mind. This was something that she and Tommy weren’t sharing with anyone but his mother. Despite how close he was with his father, they had decided not to tell him until they knew what was going on. Neither of them wanted him to try to throw money at the problem to try to solve it.

“It’s nothing,” she lied, shaking her head and forcing a smile. But then she shook her head again. “No. That’s … there’s something but we’re not … we’re not sharing it until we know more.”

“Know more? Felicity, _what’s going on_?”

She licked her lips and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Oliver, but we’re keeping it between us for now. I promise as soon as we have more information, Tommy will call you and let you know.” But that was only if she and Oliver could _find_ Tommy. And Rebecca, who would have the results. Right now, though, it was just her and Oliver and she was going to keep her secret to herself.

Oliver’s eye twitched in annoyance as he rubbed his abs once more.

“Are you in pain?” she asked, her eyes moving down to his hand. “You keep …” She trailed off, rubbing her hand over the same spot on her own stomach. “Do you want me to take a look at it?”

He stopped rubbing and looked down at his hand as if it was moving without his permission. “I – I don’t know,” he said with a frown. “It doesn’t really hurt. It feels … weird.”

“Lift up your shirt and let me look at it,” she requested, shifting to face him. “I’m a nurse.”

Oliver lifted a brown and Felicity knew her mistake immediately. Before she could take it back, he wiggled his eyebrows. “Is that how you got Tommy? By playing nurse with him?”

“Imagine how much fun it’ll be when we play doctor instead,” she said.

“Doctor?” he asked in interest. “Are you thinking about going back to school?”

“No,” she laughed a little breathlessly. “I’m just not really good at the whole, you know …”

“Sex joke thing?”

“Yes,” she huffed with a laugh. “But _anyway_. Do you want me to check out your abdomen? And I can look at your other scars too fi you want. Make sure none of them need to be treated.”

“Because you’re a nurse?” he teased.

“ _Oliver_ ,” she groaned. “Do you want me to look at them or not?” Before Oliver could answer, her cell phone started ringing again. “Oh good God,” she muttered as she pushed herself up from the couch and made her way to the phone. She saw the same name on it as the last three times and she’d _had_ _it_. “What?” she snapped. Impolite to be sure but she was having a _really_ bad day and she couldn’t handle the constant phone ringing.

_“Miss Smoak, is there a reason you weren’t on the nine am video conference with the Board?”_ the voice of Mr. Dennis came through, sharp and annoyed. _“Because unless you’re in the hospital, I cannot imagine what’s more important than trying to rebuild_ your _company.”_

Felicity’s mouth dropped open and she pulled the phone away from her ear for a second before bringing it back. “I think you have the wrong number. My company? Since when are we calling Queen Consolidated _my company_?”

There was an exasperated sigh through the speaker and it made Felicity’s blood boil. Before she could retort, Mr. Dennis continued. _“Miss Smoak, I’m in no mood for games. I’ve rescheduled the conference with the Palmer Tech Board for three pm eastern. Do not miss it or I cannot guarantee that you will remain CEO at three-oh-one.”_ The call disconnected and she couldn’t do anything but end the call on her end as well.

“Felicity?” Oliver called from the couch. “What’s up? Why did you mention QC being yours?”

“It’s not QC,” she said in awe, turning to look at him with wide eyes. “Mr. Dennis in on the Board of Palmer Tech. Which … who the hell is Palmer? And also … he said I was … he said if I wasn’t on a conference at three pm, I wouldn’t be CEO anymore.” She chewed on her bottom lip while Oliver processed what she’d said. This day was getting stranger and stranger.

“Where the _hell_ are we?” he finally breathed.

“I don’t know,” she answered, moving back over to the couch and sinking down slowly, “but I really, really hate it.”


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your patience. Life has been a little crazy lately and my muse has been on an extended vacation.

**_STARLING CITY_ **

“Did you fall in?” Tommy asked with a cheeky grin as Felicity emerged from the bathroom. “Because, I mean, you’re not ever really _quick_ in the bathroom but that was excessive.”

He was teasing her, Felicity knew, but it still made her a bit nervous. The smile on his face told her he hadn’t been listening in, hadn’t overheard her conversation with Oliver, and she was so relieved she had to hold herself back from showing it.

“Shush,” she responded with a little smile of her own. Even though she hadn’t been around him much before he died, she knew for a fact that it was nearly impossible to not return a Tommy Merlyn smile. There was something about him, about the light within him, that brought out the best in everyone around him. It made her wonder if _he_ would have been the one who convinced Oliver not to kill anymore instead of her. Then again, it was because of Tommy’s _memory_ so if they had been able to repair their friendship, he probably would have stopped.

“Hey, c’mere,” he coaxed, his hands moving to rest on her hips and draw her in. “I don’t mind how long you take as long as you come back to me when you’re done.” He pulled her a little closer and let his hands slide to rest on the small of her back. Felicity felt her stomach swoop and then immediately felt guilty. His hands were so much different from Oliver’s but she couldn’t shake the feeling that this didn’t feel wrong. Perhaps part of the Felicity that she became still remained. Maybe _that_ was why Tommy’s hands didn’t feel foreign or wrong. Maybe there was a part of Felicity Merlyn that lingered in this world and it happened to be inside her.

“Is that so?” she asked with a smile, her hands moving to rest on his shoulders. She didn’t want to tip him off to the fact that she wasn’t his wife but she didn’t want to start something there was no way she could follow through with. It was just like an undercover mission, she reminded herself. Once she and Oliver had a chance to talk they would be able to figure out what they had to do to maintain the mission and figure out how to get home.

The thing was, Felicity wasn’t sure that either one of them were prepared to do what was necessary. They’d finally been able to be together and they ended up in a world where he was with Laurel and she was with Tommy. For someone more insecure, it might have been a sign that she and Oliver weren’t meant to be together. But for Felicity, it was just another test. Instead of Ray or Sara or Laurel or Barry or any number of other love interests that had gotten between her and Oliver before, it was Tommy.

Felicity just had to hope that his guilt didn’t take over and tell her that it was better this way.

“That’s so,” Tommy replied, a grin on his lips, “even if you’re really distracted right now.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss and when he pulled back, she let out a sigh. It was surprising to her because it was sort of a sigh of contentment. Seriously, it had to be because of Felicity Melryn and her feelings; Felicity _Smoak_ was in love with Oliver and nothing could change that.

“I’m just …” she answered, trailing off. What the hell could she say to put Tommy off the scent but not _lie_? Was Tommy the kind of husband who could tell when his wife wasn’t giving him the whole truth? He didn’t look angry or skeptical but she didn’t know her own version of Tommy well enough to guess what this version was thinking or feeling. Felicity prided herself on being able to read people but right now, that particular skill was failing her and she hated it. Honestly, she just wanted to go to bed and wake up in Ivy Town with Oliver wrapped around her and their future their own to shape.

“Is it about the blood work?” he asked softly, his arms pulling her tighter so they were wrapped up in a hug. Since that was partially something that bothered her, she nodded. Felicity felt the expansion of his chest and then the soft exhalation of air part her ear and she felt kind of guilty for making him sigh so heavily. It had to be weighing on him, whatever the blood work was for, so she held him tighter to try to take some of that weight away. “It’ll be okay,” he promised her his voice thick. She had to wonder if she was going to feel hot tears on her neck. It made her stomach clench and the need to know what was going on increase exponentially. “Once we know what’s going on, then we can see where to go from there. This … no matter what the results say, City, it’s not going to change how much I love you. It’s not going change anything. Whatever happens, we’re going to be okay and we’ll figure it out.”

His word, while said in a calming manner, and which would probably make Felicity Merlyn feel better, made her feel sick to her stomach. All of the possible worst-case scenarios popped into her mind and started playing on an endless loop. She had to be sick. Maybe it was cancer. Or some kind of disease. Whatever it turned out to be, she knew that she couldn’t deal with it. She was strong but she wasn’t _that_ strong. Especially when she wouldn’t have Oliver there by her side to take care of her when things went wobbly.

“Promise?” she asked him, holding onto him tighter. “No matter what?” It didn’t feel like an act now, not with this conversation. He’d unknowingly scared her and she was going to take the comfort where she could get it. And when she talked to Oliver, she would let him know her suspicions.

“Felicity,” Tommy breathed, backing up and holding her biceps in his strong hands, his eyes searching her face, “of course. Of _course_ I promise. I love you.” His face carried a sadness she’d never known him to have, a sadness the reminded her too much of Oliver, and it made her bite down on her bottom lip to distract her. She couldn’t let herself give in to the fear and sorrow that she felt bubbling up inside of her. “No matter what, I’m not going anywhere. And I’m not going to let you go anywhere either. _I promise_.”

It soothed a small part of her but still didn’t give her the answers she was looking for. She still didn’t know what was happening to her – to Felicity Merlyn. She didn’t know what to research, didn’t know whether she should be looking for side effects or symptoms or _what_ and it was going to drive her insane if she didn’t find out soon. Maybe Oliver would be able to get something out of Laurel. If he decided to ask her. It was something they would have to talk about when they were able to see each other. “Thank you,” she whispered as she drew him in again, hugging him close. “Thank you, Tommy.” He pressed a kiss to her temple and she wondered if it was a bad thing that her mind informed her that she probably put her husband off the idea of sex for now.

 

* * *

 

“Is everything okay with you, Ollie?” Dinah asked as they started walking down the sidewalk towards whatever _Laurel’s Florals_ was. She said she needed to check in on the new employee. It still confused him but he knew until he was able to meet with Felicity and start fleshing things out, a lot wouldn’t make sense.

“Yeah,” he answered, though his voice probably gave him away. “I’m just in a really strange mood today.” Probably because he wasn’t himself, or whoever Dinah thought he was, and he didn’t know how he was supposed to be acting.

She slipped his hand in his and he couldn’t stop himself from looking. It felt so damn _familiar_ that it sent a little thrill through him. He and Laurel hadn’t held hands in a really, really long time – outside of life or death situations, at least – and it brought back memories of two kids with no idea how their lives would end up. Stolen kisses, cutting class, whispered promises of forever. He remembered why he loved the her that he’d loved when they were kids and it made this whole situation just a little less terrible.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind he felt like shit. How could he be thinking of ancient history when his future was somewhere else in this town, married to his best friend? It made him feel like he was cheating on Felicity and that was absolutely not acceptable. The problem was that he couldn’t drop Dinah’s hand without her thinking something was wrong. Something _was_ wrong but it wasn’t like he could talk to her about it.

“I noticed,” she said s she tugged on his hand to get him to stop. They were in the middle of the sidewalk but neither made a move to get out of the way of the milling pedestrians. “Is there something on your mind? Is it because of our conversation yesterday? I didn’t mean to – to freak you out or anything. I was just teasing.”

Oliver shook his head in denial. “It’s not,” he told her because it was true. “I know you were.” He didn’t because the only part of this woman he knew was her face but he trusted that she wouldn’t lie about something she thought had upset him.

Dinah sighed but nodded, turning to head in the direction they had started off in. “I’m just worried. I mean, you’re not – you’re not thinking of flying out there and replacing Roy, are you? Because you and I both know that he would never compromise his job just to flirt with your sister.”

Oliver had to snort at that. Roy Harper would sacrifice just about anything to flirt with his sister. Apparently, from what he was gathering, Dinah had made a joke about that happening and Ollie hadn’t taken it too well. He could understand that because he hated the idea of his baby sister dating but if there was anyone he could be supportive of, it was Roy. He was a good kid and had genuine feelings for Thea. At least the Roy in his world loved his sister in his world.

He didn’t want to say he was distracted because of Felicity because that would probably open him up to way too many questions that he wouldn’t possibly be able to answer. He needed to know if she was okay, needed to know if she had any idea what they were facing; he just needed to see her. He needed to tell her about his parents and how different they were, how much they seemed to love him and care for her.

“Is it about the merger?” she asked. “Because I thought that was going smoothly.”

“It is,” he agreed because he wouldn’t have told her it was if it wasn’t. That wasn’t the kind of businessman his father had taught him to be. Or, at least, he didn’t think it would be if this had happened in his own world. There was no reason to lie about it. “It’s really nothing, Dinah, I promise. I’m just off today. Probably just tired. Or, like, getting a sinus infection.”

She huffed out a laugh before growing serious. “It’s John, isn’t it? You’re thinking about his parole hearing.” He didn’t say anything and she stopped them again. This time, her jaw was set as she met his eyes. There was a familiar spark there and it loosened the knot in his stomach slightly. “I don’t know why you continue to defend him. He admitted to it.”

“Dinah …” He let his voice trail off, hoping she would continue to talk and let him know what happened to his best friend. He desperately needed to know why John was in jail and if there was anything he or Felicity could do to get him out. Maybe he was from their world too. Unlikely because Dinah wasn’t but if he was, he definitely didn’t want his best friend rotting in prison. He was sure Iron Heights was just as bad as the Russian prison they’d rescued Lyla from nearly two years before.

“No,” she snapped. “I just … you know he did it, he _told you_ he did it, and yet you always jump to his defense. No one can _make_ someone else rob a bank and hold dozens of people hostage. I know you didn’t forget that Sara and Felicity were inside. I _know_ you didn’t. Yet you’re willing to take his side? Ollie, enough is enough. I know he was your friend but he could have killed my sister and Felicity. Do you not realize that?”

“I do!” he spat back because the idea of what Dinah was describing made him feel sick to his stomach. He had no idea why John would do something like that but if Ollie was going to defend him, there had to be a reason. “I know they were there. But I also know … I know …”

“You know they weren’t hurt, that Felicity claims that he wasn’t acting like himself, like he was doing it under duress? You know his weapon was allegedly loaded with blanks? You know that it was nearly eight years ago and you feel bad because the cops killed his brother? What do you _know_ , Ollie?”

He knew there was a good chance he was going to puke on her shoes. “All of that,” he returned. “I know _all of that_. And I know he’s my best friend.” He paused. “Aside from Tommy, of course. And I know he did his time. He wouldn’t be up for parole if he hadn’t. So tell me, Dinah, what do _you_ know?”

She was quiet for a minute before she pulled her hand out of his and gave him a cold stare. “I know my sister and her best friend could have died that day. And I know I can’t stand to be near you right now. I’ll talk to you later.”

Without a look back, Dinah marched down the road, head held high and a defiant stomp in her gait.

Part of him wanted to chase after her, apologize for making her upset, find out what _Laurel’s Florals_ was and just try to keep the peace. The other part of him recognized the opportunity her walking away gave him. He shot off a text to Felicity and let her know that he was free, likely for the rest of the day but definitely for the next hour or so.

It took about twenty minutes but she told him she convinced Tommy that she needed a little grocery store therapy – he grinned thinking how much he enjoyed the fact that she loved shopping but couldn’t cook worth a lick – and that she was heading over to Trader Joe’s. He checked to make sure it was just going to be her – he wanted to see Tommy so badly but he knew he needed a few minutes of time with Felicity just so they could ground each other and figure things out – and when she replied that it would, he blew out a breath. He would have to take a cab to get to the supermarket but he didn’t care; he was going to get to see Felicity and that was all that mattered. Once they could set some kind of game plan he knew he would feel a million times better. Hopefully she had some of her own information and they could put their heads together and try to piece together who everyone was in this world and maybe come up with some kind of plan to get home. He and Felicity left Starling to try to have a nice, normal, quiet life. This was anything but that.

Stepping to the curb, Oliver lifted his arm to hail one of the several passing taxicabs. Once he got in and gave the man his destination, he relaxed back into his seat and let his mind begin to organize all of the information he knew so that they could make the most of their time together. Before he had to figure out how to apologize to Dinah and she had to go home to her husband, his dead best friend. Groaning, Oliver let his eyes fall shut. With any luck, he would open his eyes again and be home in Ivy Town, Felicity wrapped up in his arms and probably drooling on his chest.

He was never the luckiest guy in the world, though, and the pit of his stomach told him this wouldn’t be the time when Karma realized it owed him. When the cab stopped, he peaked one eye open to see the sliding glass doors of the grocery store and he sighed. Of course. He paid the fare and climbed out, eyes searching the parking lot for Felicity. He didn’t see her so he decided to head inside. With a hopeful grin, he headed for the coffee aisle. He knew her well enough to know that she would want to stock up on her favorite drink and liquid fortification. She wasn’t there when he got there so he decided to just peruse the containers and wait. She would find him sooner or later.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! Thanks for being so patient with me. My personal life is really busy right now and I'm just not in a place where writing is happening much, if at all. Heck, most days I don't even turn on my computer. That said, I wanted to get something out for you. I likely won't be writing again until mid-September, though a miracle may happen, but I'm not disappearing.
> 
> This is sort of a short filler chapter for "Ivy Town" Felicity and Oliver. I hope you enjoy it. :)

**_IVY TOWN_ **

Try as they might, neither Felicity nor Oliver could figure out what was going on. They went through their phones to try to find someone who could clue them in but everyone helpful wasn’t there. Felicity tried to call Tommy but the number was disconnected and she was left wondering if she hadn’t forgotten a digit or two since he was on her speed dial and typically her most recent call. Oliver didn’t have Dinah in his phone but he _did_ have a Laurel so he called it and frowned when _Laurel Lance, Assistant District Attorney_ ’s voicemail greeted him. He didn’t leave a message because it didn’t seem like it was the right number.

“I think maybe we should go back to Starling,” she told him as she brushed her hair. It was nearing three and if Mr. Dennis wanted her to be on the line, she needed to be. Until they got all of this figured out, they needed to play the parts they were cast in.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Oliver agreed as he sat on the toilet and watched her get ready. “At the very least, we can find out why we’re all the way out here. I mean, no offense but I’m not really a big east coast fan.”

“Because of the Yankees?” she guessed, laughing. “But no, I understand. I don’t know why we’re out here either. Which is making me think more and more that this isn’t something our friends cooked up.” Felicity sighed and looked at the clock, frowning. “Well, I need to go pretend to know why I sit on the Board of some technology company I’ve never heard of. Maybe you could … I don’t know. Explore? Get the lay of the land? Find out when we became brunch people?”

“I do brunch all the time with my parents and Dinah,” he pointed out as he pushed himself up from his seat.

“Yes,” she said as she rolled her eyes, “but that’s you and your family and Dinah. Don’t forget that Tommy’s officially a black sheep because he married me. Or, well, a black sheep in the eyes of his father. Because his mother is thrilled he married a nurse. He thinks his father would rather have you as a son though and I kind of think he’s right, Mr. Queen.” Taking a deep breath to halt her mini-rant, Felicity shook her head. “Okay, so, I’ve just had a change of plans. Or a better idea for plans. How about instead of you going out, you stay here and sit on the other side of my computer screen and help me out with this call. I have no idea what I’m doing and maybe you might. Please?”

Oliver sighed but nodded. He didn’t know anything about Palmer Tech or tech in general but Felicity knew even less. Sure, she could work the tablets and computers and machines at the clinic but he was pretty sure she didn’t even use her iPhone for anything other than calls and texts. He would have to introduce her to Candy Crush on their way back home. “And then we can pack our stuff and head back to Starling.”

Felicity was in complete agreement and the two went into the dining room so Felicity could get on her call. It was painful for both of them – all of them if the faces of the members if the Board were anything to go by – but they got through it. Felicity didn’t get anything but more questions so she decided not to tell Mr. Dennis and the others that she was planning on returning to Starling. First order of business was finding out what the heck was going on.

Packing didn’t take too long despite neither of them really recognizing any of their clothes. Felicity fought the urge to toss everything out, grumbling as she folded each item that she wished she had scrubs.

“Are we flying or driving back?” she asked curiously as they finished packing their bags. “Because flying would be faster, obviously, but we have this killer Porsche here. Is it yours?”

“I think this is one of the ones in my dad’s collection that he leaves in the temperature controlled garage,” Oliver grinned. He opened the trunk and put in their bags. “I think we should fly. I mean, either way, we’re going to have to come back here to get the rest of the stuff. Right?”

His voice was confused and curious and Felicity couldn’t really blame him. She had no idea if they would be back, individually or together, to get the rest of the things. “I guess. Or not. Since I have no idea where most of it came from. And won’t your father be mad if he finds out you left his car in Ivy Town?”

“Good point,” Oliver ceded as he walked around to climb into the driver’s seat. “Looks like we’re in for a road trip.”

“A long one,” Felicity agreed as she climbed into the passenger side and buckled in, holding her phone out to show him. “Almost thirteen hours long.”

“We can always stop,” he said with a shrug. “I think we should swing by a gas station on the way out of town and get some food and fuel.”

“Good idea,” she agreed. “Should I text that weird touchy-feely lady and tell her we’re not going to be making brunch this weekend?”

Oliver considered the question as he pulled out of the garage, finally nodding when they got to the end of the block. “Probably a good idea,” he decided. “I mean, whoever moves into that house, or goes back to the house or whatever, is going to have to deal with her as a neighbor. I think you should just say we had a family emergency or something and we had to go home.” He paused and then added, “And tell her we don’t know when we’ll be back but we’ll get in touch when we do.”

“You actually want to have brunch with her, don’t you?”

“I think if we end up back here, she’s the one we’re going to get the most information from. Like my father says, make sure to utilize your best asset.”

Felicity rolled her eyes before opening her map app and searching for a gas station. She let it start directing them and then relaxed back into her seat. “This is completely insane, you know,” she mentioned absently. “This whole situation. In fact, I’m not entirely convinced I’m awake. I think maybe if I fall asleep on the drive, I’ll wake up and be home and my husband will laugh at me for napping in the middle of the day.”

“Uh uh,” Oliver objection, his head shaking in disagreement. “No sleeping. Not fair. If I can’t sleep, you can’t sleep.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Felicity told him as they pulled into the gas station. “Completely ridiculous. I don’t know how Dinah puts up with you.”

Oliver didn’t answer with words, instead choosing to shoot her a glare before climbing out of the car when he pulled up to the pump. “We’re probably going to have to stop a few times for gas anyway but don’t get too much to drink for either of us. I wanna get back there as soon as possible.”

Felicity mock saluted him before heading into the gas station. Tommy and Oliver were best friends and, as such, she knew a lot about Oliver’s eating and drinking habits. She got him a large Smart Water, one of those cups with grapes in it and a muffin and proceeded to get herself a green tea, 3 Musketeers bar and some dill pickle Pringles. She also grabbed two cheese stuffed pretzels at the check out, her brow furrowing as she glanced at her debit card and saw it had her maiden name on it, and then met Oliver back at the car.

“Things got weirder,” she proclaimed as she climbed in and fastened her safety belt. “My debit card has my maiden name on it.”

“Weird,” Oliver agreed before pulling out into traffic. He glanced at Felicity and nodded to her phone, indicating she should get the GPS started, before continuing. “Maybe you switched out a new card for an older one? Or whoever did this to us did, I mean.”

“Maybe,” she said slowly, “but I don’t think so. I mean, it worked. It’s not like I tried to pay and it didn’t work. I did.” Biting down on her bottom lip, she let out a slow breath. “I think I’m starting to feel like I don’t want to know what else is going on. I just want to get home to my husband.”

“Yeah,” Oliver agreed. “I wanna get back too.”

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence somewhere around the Connecticut/New York border but it didn’t last until they made it to Pennsylvania. Felicity asked question after question that Oliver couldn’t answer. It was making him increasingly agitated and finally he snapped at her, reminding her that the two of them were in the same situation and he didn’t know anything more than she did. She’d simply stared at him for a few minutes before turning and looking out her window. He hated it and knew he should apologize but instead, he turned on the radio and kept his eyes on the road.

It wasn’t until Scranton that they started talking again. It was about food but it was something. Oliver apologized for snapping and Felicity accepted it, apologizing for overwhelming him with unanswerable questions.

“I’m just … starting to get really nervous,” she admitted. “I haven’t talked to Tommy since waking up. I don’t have his number in my phone and no one’s tried to call me. I just … I have a really bad feeling and I’m getting antsy and I have nothing to really focus my energy on and I just want to know what’s happening. So many things happening.”

“Hey, I get it,” he replied softly. “I do. The number I got for Dinah wasn’t her, I don’t have my dad’s number or Tommy’s number … it’s all … it’s so strange. But there’s nothing we can do from here. Once we get back home we’ll be able to sort it all out. I’m sure there’s going to be a really good explanation for it and things will go back to the way they’re supposed to be. In less than twelve hours, you’ll be able to yell at Tommy all you want for not checking in and I can ask Dinah what the hell’s going on with her phone. Everything’s going to be fine, Felicity.” He reached over and put his hand on hers, an attempt at a reassuring smile on his lips. “I promise.”

There was no way she could hold him to that promise but she would hold on to the hope of it. With any luck, they would get back to Starling and everything really would have been an elaborate joke.

Deciding they needed a neutral subject, Felicity asked how Thea and Sara were doing. Sara texted her once in a while saying how amazing Europe was and how Felicity was missing out – which was why she originally thought this whole mess was an elaborate joke being played by Sara from ten thousand miles away – but they needed a distraction and Felicity was sure tales Oliver’s little sister would fill the space easily.

“Hating that Roy’s with them,” he said with a grin. “Dad wanted to make sure they had a chaperon. I’m not sure an attractive bodyguard was the best route but, as far as I know, things are going well. She texts pictures every once in a while. I think they’ll be coming home soon. Against their wishes but, you know.” He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “I think it’s been good for both of them to get out of town, you know?”

Felicity did know. Both Sara and Thea were a little on the troubled side. Both always acted out. It was kind of scary for a while, with Sara into some heavy drugs and Thea skipping school to drink and do god-knows-what else, but they both came through the other side. This trip was to help them de-stress and get back into the real world. “Yeah,” she agreed with a smile. “I’m glad it’s going well for them. I’m sure they’ll have thousands of stories when they get home. What about hat place?”

Looking towards the diner Felicity pointed out, Oliver shrugged. “Looks okay to me. There’s cars there so the food probably isn’t poisoned.”

“You’re so strange,” she laughed. When he pulled in, she climbed from the car and smiled at a couple of older women who were staring. At first she thought it was because they were strangers but when she caught one of them blush, she knew it was because of how attractive Oliver was. She rolled her eyes and when they met up, she whispered, “Is there any woman on this planet that wouldn’t kill for a chance to be in your bed?”

Oliver choked out a laugh and arched a brow at her. “I’m sure there are a few,” he answered and hoped his voice wasn’t as heavy as it sounded inside his head.

“Blasphemy,” she disagreed with a chuckle before the hostess greeted them and led them to their seats.

Lunch passed with idle chatter, jokes and light conversation. No one knew them here and she actually preferred it to what had happened in Ivy Town. Felicity decided she would much rather be anonymous than have people know a story she didn’t.

Once they got back on the road, however, the topic turned serious. “I read in the paper that John would be getting another parole hearing soon.”

“Yeah,” Oliver answered with a deep breath and a long sigh. “I’m going to speak at it. I’m hoping he gets out.”

“He shouldn’t be in there in the first place,” she added softly, her eyes unfocused as she stared out the window. “John isn’t … no his life hasn’t been easy but he knows he has friends who would help him out. I just think that bitch cop had it out for him.”

Oliver agreed but he didn’t want to say it. The idea of one of his best friends rotting in prison because a crooked cop had it out for him was just too much. Instead, he let out a long breath. “John did what he had to do to protect his family. Carly and AJ would have probably been targets too. He didn’t want his son to have to go through more than he already was. We both know he’s not guilty.”

“And he’s not getting parole because he’s not showing remorse,” she said softly. “Because how can someone be remorseful when they haven’t done anything?” With a frown, she looked back out the window. “I wish I knew him better so I could speak. But hopefully you get through to him this time. Carly and AJ really miss him, you know? He was talking about going to visit him and it just broke my heart. John needs to come home.”

“I know,” Oliver agreed. “Maybe this time it’ll happen.” He doubted it but he would never stop trying.

“How about next stop, I take over driving?” Felicity suggested. Oliver’s snort had her narrowing her eyes. “What? You don’t think I can drive?”

“I don’t think you can drive manual,” he corrected. And judging by the look on your face, you don’t think you can either. Look, I’ll be fine. If we need to stop for me to catch a power nap or something, it won’t be the end of the world. I just don’t really you’re going to be comfortable trying to drive this. And if you strip a gear, I’ll lose my mind. I’m fine for now, though. I don’t even need an energy drink.”

“Those things’ll make you sterile,” she grumbled under her breath. At his silence, she turned to look at him and saw that he had a shocked and horrified look on his face. “Not really,” she laughed as she placed her hand on his arm. “You can breathe again.”

“Not funny,” he grumbled. “I might want to have kids one day.”

“You might wanna marry that gorgeous girlfriend of yours first,” she suggested with an eyebrow wiggle. “I don’t think Quentin would take too kindly to a baby out of wedlock.”

“Probably not,” Oliver agreed. “But I’m not ready for that. Either that. I’m just saying I wanna know my boys still swim and I’m not shooting blanks.” He paused and let out a little groan. “I probably shouldn’t talk to you about this.”

“I’m a nurse,” she pointed out. “I’ve seen and heard worse.”

He absolutely believed her but he wasn’t about to continue. “Speaking of kids …”

“No,” she shot him down quickly. “We’re not … I don’t want to talk about that. Please.”

With a sigh, Oliver agreed and focused back on the road. It was going to be a long nine-ish hours.

 


End file.
